Review: No Hot Ashes

Northern Ireland based classic rock outfit No Hot Ashes formed in 1983, in an era that made mega stars of some of the very best bands in the business. In 1986 they toured in support of the likes of Magnum, Girlschool and Steve Marriott’s Pack of Three, a run of success that lead them to signing up with GWR Records in 1988. A label that already included major artists such as Motörhead, Girlschool and Hawkwind. However after recording an album, delays occurred in getting it released and when the band decided to split in 1990 the debut record sadly never saw the light of day.

In September 2013 a one off reunion gig snowballed into a string of support slots for big touring artists that included the likes of Aerosmith, Foreigner, UFO, Scorpions and where I was lucky enough to catch them, in support of fellow AOR rockers FM on their Heroes and Villains tour in 2015.

Now some 34 years after the band first formed they have finally been able to release their long awaited self-titled debut album ‘NHA’ via their new label Frontiers Music slr. Unfortunately for the band the pleasure of releasing the album was tinged with great sadness due to the untimely passing of bass player Paul Boyd who lost his brave battle with cancer in January 2017. Paul appears on the album and the band have respectfully dedicated it to his memory.

On the release of the first single ‘Boulders’ you could have been fooled into thinking this was going to be an album full of the genre typical AOR ballads, however its proved to be so much more than that. The majority of the tracks are very contemporary and not at all the delayed 80s sound that was expected. There's fantastic rock anthems such as the instantly enjoyable tracks ‘Good To Look Back’ and ‘Satisfied’, and even groovy numbers like ‘Jonny Redhead’, which in my opinion is one of the catchiest on the album. The closest you get to the typical 1980s sound is their epic cover of Rick Springfield's classic track 'Souls', a ballad brought to life by No Hot Ashes. With a mixed bag of hard rock, AOR and only a hint of the classic era, it’s hard to believe this band have been in hiatus since the end of the 80s, as there isn’t really a track that would feel out of place within a modern playlist. It’s clear they have had a refreshed and renewed take on what their debut album should sound like in 2018.

Frontman Eamon Nancarrow’s vocal performance is a pleasure to listen to, certainly up their with some of the best on the Frontiers Music roster, and as the title of the first track suggests, this band have 'Come Alive' with this debut. The 10 track delight is certainly a must for your record collections this year. 34 years seems like such a long wait for such a talented band.

Not Hot Ashes are currently preparing to hit the road in support of their debut album, with shows already planned for late spring and summer 2018. They will also be making an appearance at this years Download Festival on the Dogtooth Stage in June.